Collapsible ironing board



P 1955 v J. c. GRISSETTE 2,718,077

COLLAPSIBLE IRONING BOARD Filed May 25, 1953 C G'msssrrz INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY United States Patent COLLAPSIBLE IRONING BOARD Jean C.Grissette, Dallas, Tex.

Application May 25, 1953, Serial No. 357,135

2 Claims. (Cl. 38-138) This invention relates to ironing boards and moreparticularly to collapsible ironing boards.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an ironing board ofsuch design and construction that it can be quickly and convenientlyreduced to dimensions suitable for transportation in a conventionalsuitcase. The arrangement is especially useful to women whose travelsrequire temporary residence at various hostelries lacking accommodationsfor light ironing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ironing board made upof several telescopically related sections which, when extended, havethe appearance and effect of a conventional ironing board and whencollapsed, one section into another, the entire board is no longer insize than the largest of its several sections.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an ironing boardrequiring no hinges, latches or the like but possessed of supportingmeans having portions capable of interlocking relationship with portionsof the board sections with the result that not only are the sectionsheld against relative displacement from extended positions but also thesupporting means is held against collapsing as well as against releasefrom the board if it becomes necessary or desirable to lift the boardfor movement from one position to another.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a collapsible ironing boardconstructed according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing collapsed position of the board.

Figure 3 is a view thereof in longitudinal cross-section in extendedposition.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a slightly modifiedform of ironing board and supporting means.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing still another form ofsupporting means for the board, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Figure 5.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference ismade primarily to Figures 1 to 3 wherein numeral 10 denotes the rear endsection of the board which, in collapsed position thereof, is adapted toreceive the intermediate section 11 and front end section 12.

The end section 10 is formed with a gradual taper cor responding withthe taper of the companion sections 11 and 12 in extended position ofthe board. A side flange 13 is formed on each section and each flange 13has a return flange 14 parallel with the top of each section ofsuflicient width to support the sections in collapsed position as shownin Figure 2. The rear end section 10 is further provided at its rear'orwidest end with inwardly directed flanges or stops '15 to prevent thecompanion sections 11 and 12 from extending past the rear end of thesection 10 in collapsed position of the board.

2,718,077 Fatented Sept. 20, 1955 tional engagement within the area band this frictional relationship between the sections is an aid inholding the sections extended while the overlapping ends of the sectionslend rigidity to the board in extended position.

In Figure 3 is shown a form of support for the board and which consistsof a pair of supporting members 16 of substantially U-shape whose legs17 are upwardly convergent. Near the free or upper end, each leg is bentat 0 into an obtuse angle and at d into a right angle in order that theright angular portions 18 of the legs will bear against the undersurfaceof the board in operative position of the legs while the legs themselveswill each extend toward an end of the board, thus distributing theweight of the latter or the pressure imposed thereon through a longerrange.

Each return flange 14 of section 10 has an aperture e which, when thesections are extended to their fullest, is brought into register with anaperture 1 in the return flange 14 of section 11. Each return flange 14of section 11 has an aperture g which is brought into register with anaperture h in the return flange of section 12. With these apertures inregister, a supporting member 16 is placed in the position shown at theleft in Figure 3 with its right angular end portion 18 in the alignedapertures g and h. The member 16 is then moved in a counterclockwisedirection, as indicated by the arrow, until the supporting memberassumes the position of the companion member 16 shown at the right ofFigure 3.

It will be seen that the right angular end portion 18 will lie againstand parallel with the undersurface of the board while the obtuse bend ofeach leg will be positioned approximately at the point of register ofthe aligned apertures in the respective return flanges 14 and thussecure each section against slippage with respect to companion sections.

In Figure 4 is shown substantially the same ironing board structureinsofar as the telescopically related sections are concerned but revealsa modified form of support. The support 19 in this case is also ofsubstantially U-shape having legs 20, the upper end of each having tworight angular bends a and b which define a shallow U-shaped portion 21on a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the supportingmember 19. The section 10a telescopically receives an intermediatesection 11a, fragmentarily shown and each has a side flange 12a which isbroken longitudinally to provide an overhang 13a to shield garments fromcontact with the protruding end 14a of the leg 20.

The supporting member 19 is made of a material having inherentresiliency and to mount the member on the board, the legs 20 are sprunginwardly, the bend a entering aligned slots c in the return flanges 15aof the side flanges 12a of each section 10a and 11a, as shown in thecut-away portion of Figure 4. The portion 21 between the bends a' and bof each leg 20 lies against the inner surface of each return flange 15aof the narrowest of each section while the ends 14a of the legs extendoutwardly through aligned apertures 16a in the side flanges 12a of thesections. Thus, the legs 20 are held'against oscillative displacement,the resiliency of the legsmaintaining them in expanded position in theirrespective slots c and apertures 16a.

In Figures 5 and 6 is shown still another modification of the supportfor the ironing board. As, in earlier forms, the board itself is made upof telescopically related sections, the sections fragmentarily shownbeing numbered 22 and 23, each having side flanges 24 with returnflanges 25. The supporting member 26 is of substantially U-shape, eachleg 27 thereof is formed at its upper end into substantially rectangularform defining a portion 28 which parallels the end 29 of the leg.

A hook shaped slot 30 is formed in the flange 24 and return flange 25adjacent the ends of the intermediate section and adjacent one end ofeach end section of the ironing board. When the sections are allextended, these slots are brought into register. The supporting members26 are applied so that the portions 28 of the legs enter the open end ofslot 30, after which they are moved into the closed end of the slot, asshown in Figure 5. When the legs are disposed at the proper supportingangle shown, the ends 29 are brought up against the undersurface of thereturn flanges 25 while the portions 28 bear against the tongue 31formed by the slot. Thus, the legs are held in position by the weight ofthe board and the pressure thereon, however, if the board is lifted; thelegs swing freely. As in Figure 4, the flanges 24 of the sections of theboard shown in Figures and 6 are each formed with an overhang to extendthe working surface of the board beyond the projecting portions at theupperends of the legs, thus to keep the work being ironed out of contactwith these projecting portions.

, It is evidentfrom the foregoing that with but a small number of parts,a collapsible ironing board is provided which. can be reduced to a sizeto enable it to be conveniently carried in a suitcase or in its own casewithout occupying too much room. Moreover, the board can be extended andset up for use in a very short period of time and with little efiort.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of somemodification and such modification as maybe construed to fall within thescope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be withinthe spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible ironing board comprising in combination ,a front, arear and an intermediate section, said sections being correspondinglytapered for collapsibility of the front and intermediate sections intoeach other and into said rear section, a right angular flange formedintegrally with each side edge of each of said sections, said flangeseach being formed with an apertured return flange parallel with theunderfaces of said sections, said right angular side flanges beingadapted to be brought into frictional juxtaposition in longitudinallyextended positions of said sections to preclude separation of the latterand to bring into register the apertures of the return flanges of onesection with the apertures of the return flanges of a companion section,a pair of substantially U-shaped supporting members, each having itslegs bent adjacent their extremities at an obtuse angle and again atright angles for engagement in the registered apertures to hold saidsections against relative longitudinal displacement.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which said supporting members aredownwardly divergent to dispose the right angular portions thereof inflush parallelism with the undersurface of the sections defining theironing surface of said ironing board in extended position of saidsections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,789Schoenberger Nov. 19, 1850 21,955 Grosholz Nov. 2, 1858 1,486,118 BainMar. 11, 1924 1,550,130 Waddle Aug. 18, 1925 2,637,919 Buchanan May 12,1953

